"Tell me why you were trying to kidnap him, and I might take it easy on you," he growled.
The man laughed, cold and bitter. "The Sanguis Vitae will have their prize, and there's nothing you can do to stop us."
He spat out blood, and magic burned hot in the air. This fucker was a mage. Lachlan dropped him as the spell spread the spilled blood from the mage's broken nose and sealed over his mouth. He was suffocating himself on purpose.
Lachlan dug his fingers into the hardening blood, trying to claw it off him, but it was no use. The mage's eyes rolled back into his head, and he was dead.
"Fuck!" Lachlan shouted. And then he heard singing.
"On the good ship lollipop..." Apollo crooned in the back of the van.
Lachlan pulled the back door open and found Apollo hanging awkwardly off the bench seat, tangled in a seat belt.
"You okay in there, bright eyes?" he asked.
Apollo smiled wonkily. "My head is full of rainbows. Jean...gave me the good drugs."
"He was trying to kidnap you." Lachlan used one of his daggers to cut the seatbelt straps and caught Apollo before he could fall.
Apollo snorted. "Rude."
Lachlan let out a relieved sigh when he saw Apollo wasn't bashed or bruised. He was drunk and high, but he wasn't hurt. "Okay, golden boy, let's get you home."
"Noooo, don't take me back there." Apollo's arms flailed wildly. "They are all lovey dove faces, and I can't. I don't want them to see me like this on their happy, perfect night."
Lachlan knew exactly what he meant. "Okay, I won't take you home. You need to stay here for a moment, okay?"
"I can't go anywhere. The pixies ran away with my legs," Apollo whispered. "I think they will want my arms next."
"I'll find them. They won't be back for your arms. Just stay."
Lachlan left Apollo singing to himself. He hoisted the body of the driver up off the road and threw it into the back of the van. He grabbed the keys out of the ignition and locked the doorsbefore he went back to the side for Apollo. He was still sitting where Lachlan had left him. His singing had become verbatim quoting ofShrek 2. He tried not to laugh. At least Apollo was funny when he was wasted.
"Let's get you out of there, golden boy," he said gently.
Lachlan lifted Apollo up and over his shoulder before sliding the van door shut and locking it as well. He would send someone back for the van and the body. He hid the keys in the front wheel well and steadied Apollo's bulk on his shoulder.
"Wow, your ass is so perky. I'm going to need a handful of coins to see if they bounce," he said and gave it an experimental squeeze.
Lachlan tried not to jump with every pinch. In any other situation, he would have loved Apollo groping him. It wouldn't be right to think anything of it when he was so drunk.
With a sigh, Lachlan carried the unrequited love of his life to where he had parked his own car and tried really hard to ignore the dick rubbing against his shoulder with every step he took.
3
It took twice as long as Lachlan would have liked to get back to Ironwood Manor because his passenger demanded to go through a McDonald's drive-through for 'supplies.' Apollo still couldn't feel his legs, but apparently, his stomach was working just fine.
While they waited for his order, Lachlan woke a few of the hunters he had been training for Kenna and sent them out to retrieve the van.
He had never heard of Sanguis Vitae. That wasn't surprising. Ever since the fae returned, all sorts of crazy clubs were on the rise. Magic was out, and humans wanted a taste even if they lacked magical abilities. What he had seen the mage do with his blood tonight was enough to know that he had been no fucking amateur.
As soon as Apollo had food in front of him, he finally stopped singing and quoting in order to stuff his mouth. If Lachlan hadn't been feeling ultra paranoid about someone trying to kidnap Apollo, he might have found the whole thing ridiculously cute.
The Ironwood manor was dark and quiet by the time they finally arrived. The sun wasn't going to be up for a while, but Lachlan knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep.
"Hang tight to that drink if you want to keep it," Lachlan warned and picked Apollo up in a bridal carry. "And no singing and waking the house up."
"I like it when you try to be bossy. It's so cute," Apollo said and bopped Lachlan on the nose. He giggled when Lachlan snapped his teeth at him. "This is my emotional support Coke and must come with me."
